Restraint systems for moving vehicles are well known in a diversity of shapes and designs for both passenger use (e.g., child and infant seats and restraint systems). A typical safety seat for a child has a crotch belt to which is attached a buckle that receives either a single tongue connected with a pair of shoulder belts or a pair of tongues connected with a pair of shoulder belts. In order to retain the child securely in the seat, the pair of shoulder belts are interconnected to form a chest harness, which is maintained against the shoulders of the child. Race car driver and pilot restraint system are similar to child restraints in their double shoulder, leg and crotch strap locations as a means of providing restraint. Although child restraint system will be discussed in more detail herein, this discussion is not meant to limit the scope and application of the present inventors disclosure to only child restraint-related systems.
One type of restraining harness used for restraining children includes a jacket-type arrangement wherein the child must be put into the jacket, and the jacket includes fastening means connected to the seat or the bus in a permanent manner as by anchoring straps to the floor of the school bus. This type arrangement is costly to use and requires that one size jacket be used in winter when the child wears a coat and another in summer when the child wears no coat.
One prior art illustrates a safety belt and harness system, which includes means for securing a strap to the seat and has hook and loop type fastening means for the belt, which may be positioned in one of two locations. This enables the belt to be secured around the waist or chest of the user; however, it does not permit chest and waist use, and more importantly, it does not permit a wide range of adjustable locations necessary in dealing with children of various sizes and for later unauthorized use.
Another prior art includes convertible infant car seats employing a shield attachment, which pivots to a position in front of the infant to provide a safety barrier for the child's upper body upon impact and adequately confine the infant into the appropriate seat pocket position. The shield also provides a convenient surface to support the child's hands. Most of the prior art devices shows harnesses or restrainers designed for specific purposes, but none has the flexibility and adjustability to use in all forms of child seats including high chairs, strollers swings and the like. Hence it is desirable to have a harness system that can be utilized in all forms of child seats and allows for a more secure restraint system.